Despite the challenges it faces, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is working tirelessly to keep the crime rate down, according to Police Commissioner (ag) Leroy Brumell.
Brumell was delivering remarks yesterday at the Police Officers’ Annual Conference being held at Police Officers’ Mess Annex, Eve Leary under the theme: ‘Advancing Institutional Modernisation to Secure our Communities Through Enhanced Professionalism, Partnership, Strategic Management and Effective Leadership’.
During the three-day event officers will be analyzing and reviewing the force’s operations, policies, and administrative procedures, and will plan for the future in keeping with their mandate under the Police Act of the Laws of Guyana.
According to Brumell, during last year there was an overall decrease of 1% in serious crimes compared to 2011. In terms of murder, a total of 137 murders were recorded in 2012 compared to 130 in 2011; an increase of 5%. Of the 137 murders, 62 were of the disorderly type, 11 were committed during armed robberies, 24 were domestic related and 9 were execution type, while the other 31 were undetermined, he said.
Brumell said robbery under arms saw an overall increase of 21% compared to 2011; with an increase of 16% in armed robberies involving the use of firearms and a 30% increase in armed robberies where instruments other than firearms, such as knives, cutlasses and ice-picks, were used by the perpetrators.
“We have been working assiduously in relation to our fight against crime through robust patrols, roadblock operations, raids and searches, and an intelligence network bolstered by the Divisional Crime Intelligence Unit and the computerised Integrated Crime Information System (ICIS) established under the Citizen Security Programme,” he said.
As at March 4, he said, the force had recorded an overall 1% decrease in serious crime in comparison to the same period in 2012. There has been a decrease by 6% in armed robberies. However, murders have shown an increase of some 17% when compared to the same period last year, with figures of 21 as against 18, he said.
He noted that within recent years the police have been able to dismantle a number of criminal gangs and while at present no such gang has been identified, “we continue to work through intelligence-led policing to interdict those criminal elements involved in armed robberies, especially with illegal firearms brought into the country through our expansive borders, which pose some difficulty for law enforcement.”
Turning his attention to illegal guns, the commissioner said a total of 111 firearms were recovered by the police during 2012; comprising 28 pistols, 39 revolvers, 31 shotguns and 13 rifles. Forty-nine of the 111 firearms were recovered in the then ‘E & F’ Division with the largest seizure being during October when four AK-47 rifles and six M16 rifles were recovered at Tabatinga, Lethem, along with a quantity of ammunition, magazines, shrapnel hand grenades and radio sets.
He said the force is cognisant of the emergence of gold mining and its significance to the GDP of the country. As a result, there has been a significant effort to boost policing in the ‘E’ and ‘F’ Policing Divisions where these activities are centred.
Brumell noted that the force is concerned about the armed robberies committed on miners and in mining camps and the disorderly murders occurring in the gold mining areas of the interior. During last year, he said, 24 of the 62 disorderly murders occurred in that area.
For this year so far, he said, four of the nine disorderly murders committed were in ‘F’ Division and there has been a number of armed robberies committed on miners; the most recent being last Friday when a Brazilian miner was killed during an attack on a “dragger” in the Omai area. To effectively police this division given the expanse and type of terrain, he said, police checkpoints have been established along with frequent roving patrols and “stop and search” operations.
The police, he added, are also working closely with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners’ Association (GGDMA), the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and other stakeholders to ensure more effective management and control of these areas.
The proposals for effectively policing this area, Brumell said, include a crackdown on illegal shops suspected of harbouring criminal elements in the gold mining areas, the acquisition of a floating police outpost, the formation of community policing groups and the appointment of Supernumerary Constables for mining establishments.
In terms of drugs, he said the force continues to work diligently against the illicit drug trade and during last year some 80 kilogrammes, 586 grammes of cocaine were seized during police operations, resulting in 115 cases being made with a total of 124 persons charged. Meanwhile, 131,928 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa (marijuana) were seized/destroyed, from which 493 cases were made and 540 persons were charged. Along with intensified collaboration with local, regional and international law enforcement agencies, “we will continue to maintain our focus in the fight against drugs,” he stressed.
Road fatalities, he noted had seen a 4% reduction in 2012 with 110 fatalities compared to 115 during 2011. The 110 road deaths last year, according to Brumell is the lowest figure recorded in 43 years, and stands testimony to the hard work being done by traffic officers.
He blamed traffic accidents on speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, distraction and the non-compliance with traffic signals, signs and road markings.
According to Brumell, the institutional modernisation of the force under the CSP has benefited it tremendously and assisted significantly with its professionalism and quality of service.
Eighteen police stations have been refurbished and remodelled and have special rooms that allow for privacy when dealing with domestic violence, ID parades, interviews and case management in keeping with international best practices. A computer centre was established at the Felix Austin Police College for the training of ranks in Information Technology, and a modern training facility, which should be completed within a short while, is under construction nearby.
He said that over 300 police officers—from the rank of constable to Assistant Commissioner—completed a comprehensive training programme under the US consulting entity The Emergence Group. The Integrated Crime Information System, which is an electronic data-management system encompassing policing divisions that will allow for the tracking of criminal activities and establish trends was established.
With respect to the Community Action Component of the Citizen Security Programme, which was launched in February 2010, he said the goal was to assist the ten communities involved to become sustainable neighbourhoods in which all persons are included in the creation of safe environments and young people are provided with opportunities that dissuade them from participating in criminal and violent activity.
This was intended to be achieved through the provision of training opportunities for youth between the ages of 14 and 25 who would have dropped out of school with the facilitating of formal life skills training, vocational training, and employment or business initiation training, he said.
The force, he said, with assistance from an overseas Guyanese-owned company, established a computer training centre at the Felix Austin Police College at Adventure, Berbice, which caters for the training of not only police recruits, but scouts, youth club members and members of the public. Another such venture is in train for the Richard Faikall Police College at Suddie, Essequibo.
He said the July 18 killings of protesters in Linden, the fatal shooting of Shaquille Grant at Agricola and the subsequent protests during October last and the shooting to death of Damian Belgrave were among some of the challenges for the force last year.
While noting that the force is constrained in its efforts in dealing with corruption, he stressed that “the Guyana Police Force has a lot of dedicated and professional men and women who do their job with pride. They are genuine and eagerly assist members of the public with their requests for service and protection. Admittedly, there are a few who exhibit deviant behaviour, but once found out they are dealt with accordingly.”
In relation to domestic violence, he said “with the force’s zero tolerance policy no rank can opt to settle any matter but must take the appropriate actions leading to the matter being placed before the court.” Brumell said the force has pursued an aggressive policy of training for police officers in this area and it forms part of the curriculum for recruits at the Felix Austin Police College.
The Guyana Police Force has put in place institutional structures/mechanisms at Headquarters, Divisional, Sub-Divisional, and Station levels to ensure that there are appropriate responses to reports of domestic violence; and that these are being dealt with in areas that afford privacy and confidentiality, he added.
According to him, the available statistics indicate that the police received and dealt with 3,376 reports of domestic violence in 2012, compared to 4,979 in 2011. Investigations resulted in 1,715 persons being charged and placed before the court and 106 persons warned in 2012. During 2011, 1,652 persons were charged and 242 persons warned.
“The Guyana Police Force has generally done well during 2012 having responded with determination… There is much more work to be done this year and in the years ahead, and cognisant that there will always be challenges in law enforcement we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that citizens feel safe in the society and continue their legitimate activities to build a country of peace, progress and prosperity,” he said.
